Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security has spent $200m on ads promoting an app for migrants to self-deport, but has refused to release data on how many people have actually used it.
Last month, Noem promised to share the numbers of migrants who had used the CBP Home app, through which people are supposed to receive financial assistance of up to $1,000, a free flight home, as well as preserving their chance to return legally to the U.S.
“We know thousands and thousands of people have used the app,” Noem told reporters at a press conference.
However, no official figures appear to have been released by the DHS. The Independent has requested confirmation from the department, as well as from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE.
DHS data on the app, obtained by NBC News through a Freedom of Information Act request, said that despite thousands of downloads, including a spike following the return of Donald Trump to the White House, its actual use has been less successful.
During five weeks from March 10 to April 16, only 356 people used the CBP Home app to self-deport, according to the outlet’s request.
However, despite not releasing further information to NBC, a Border Patrol spokesperson said the data didn’t cover the period after the formal announcement of the broader program, known as “Project Homecoming,” on May 9.
“The data report you have is outdated and comes from before May’s announcement of Project Homecoming,” the spokesperson told the outlet. “Tens of thousands of illegal aliens have utilized the app and taken control of their departure and there continues to be sustained sign-ups for the app.”
DHS also declined to confirm to NBC how many people completed the process and used the app to confirm they had left the country.
In addition to the apparent lack of data on the app’s use, both Democrats and migrants themselves have questioned the effectiveness of the app, as well as the expensive marketing campaign heralded by Noem.
The TV and online ads are being broadcast across the United States and internationally, and in multiple different languages, DHS said in a press release.
The ads are targeted “toward all illegal aliens residing within the U.S. to ensure they are given the resources needed to take advantage of this incredibly generous opportunity granted to them by the United States government.”
Undocumented migrants have also expressed skepticism about the apparent simplicity of Noem’s self-deportation process.
Lauren, a mother of two who lives in Ohio with her undocumented husband, told NBC News that the process would be expensive and take time. Her husband does not plan to use the app, she told the outlet.
“You just can’t get on a plane tomorrow and just go,” she said. “You know, we have a home. We have to sell this home, get rid of everything that’s in this home… you can’t just leave like [Noem] says.”
